Travel Advisor & La Jolla Mom Owner
Favorite Place in San Diego
La Jolla Cove area
Favorite theme park
San Diego Zoo (Disneyland, a close second)
Favorite hotel
Four Seasons Hong Kong
Hi, I’m Katie Dillon. I’ve lived in beautiful La Jolla, California, for a long time, dating back to when I was a student at UC San Diego.
I’ve left only a few times (once to live in Del Mar). My husband and I were expats in London and Hong Kong for seven years. My daughter was born in Hong Kong. We bought and renovated our house in La Jolla while overseas (I don’t recommend this) and then eventually moved in. Each of these moves has defined this site.
I started La Jolla Mom as a place to write about lifestyle and motherhood topics to keep my brain active. It evolved into a travel business after I began covering tips for flying with kids and reviewing hotels we stayed in.
Living in a hotel apartment in Hong Kong is not unusual, so that’s what we did, and we stayed a lot longer in the hotel than most people do. It just happened to be Four Seasons Hong Kong. I’m very loyal to the brand because of our over four years in that fabulous property. And, I know a lot about hotels.
Eventually, readers started asking me for advice on San Diego travel. I added tips and things to do — becoming a resource for visitors and locals. (I’m a certified San Diego destination specialist by our tourism board.) San Diego has four of the nation’s best theme parks, so people started asking me for ways to buy discounted tickets.
I partnered with aRes Travel in Pacific Beach, down the hill from my house, to offer people cheaper tickets. I also aligned myself with Cadence Travel in La Jolla (where I am in the top 20% of advisors for 2024, 2023, and 2022) to bring travelers VIP hotel perks in San Diego and beyond.
That’s how I wound up covering our three main topics: San Diego, theme parks, and hotels. I want you to get the most out of your trip—whether by saving on tickets, enjoying added hotel perks, or using our resources to self-plan—so you always feel your vacation or day out is worth your time and money.
Recent Writing
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Make these really easy Santa Claus cupcakes for your next holiday gathering with simple ingredients you may already have.
Consider holiday shopping at Balboa Park museum stores, especially if you have people on your list who are difficult to shop for. Here’s what I found.
Bernardo Winery is a hidden gem with not only a tasting room and fabulous wines, but 12 shops, a cafe, a restaurant and more.
When people visit Cordiano Winery, they talk about great wines, the view, the gracious owners, and the pizza!
The Grande Colonial is a family friendly hotel in La Jolla with a superb location and exquisite food provided by NINE-TEN restaurant. I recommend it.
We rescued a dog. Here are the things that we weren’t prepared for.
My daughter loved the Shangri-la Rasa Sentosa resort so much that she refused to leave it.
Learn how to make homemade playdough, watercolor paints, finger paints, bubbles, and more DIY recipes for kids’ crafts and activities.
Simple hotel orchid arrangements you an easily replicate at home.
